Jenkins and Wynne Ford

Ford Blue Cruise

ford blue cruise

How Great is Ford BlueCruise?

Hands-free highway driving?  Yes, please!  BlueCruise is Ford’s active driving assistance (ADA) program that allows you to rest your hands lightly on the wheel, or even go hands-free on controlled-access highways all over the country, so you can sit back and allow your vehicle to make the micro adjustments it needs to drive safely in your lane!  The ADA uses a combination of the car’s cruise control and lane entering assistance services.  Once you activate BlueCruise, relax while the automated system takes over your steering, braking and acceleration, slowing down or speeding up as needed to maintain safe distances from surrounding traffic.  The ADA can also prevent you from crossing over a lane into opposing traffic, potentially protecting you from moments of inattention or distracted driving.

Where Blue Cruise really pays off is on long highway trips:  On BlueZone controlled-access highways, you can safely take your hands off the wheel, while keeping your eyes on the road.  You can hop online and visit the Ford BlueCruise travel page to see if you’ll be traveling on controlled-access highways, and select your BlueZone travel routes for your trip! This aspect of the driving assistance program helps reduce stress on your ride so you can arrive energized.

BlueCruise gets high marks for its technological and safety features.  In fact, Consumer Reports® has named BlueCruise its top-rated Active Driving Assistance Program!  Jake Fisher is Consumer Reports senior director of auto testing and says “Systems like BlueCruise are an important advancement that can help make driving easier and less stressful.”  As Fisher points out, ADA systems “create a new way of collaboratively driving with the computers in your car.”  

When testing the BlueCruise ASA for capability and performance, the CR team reports it “gave smooth steering inputs and did a good job of keeping the car at or near the center of the lane, on both straight and curvy roads. This type of performance gives confidence to the driver that these systems are highly capable.”

One thing that helps Ford’s BlueCruise stand head and shoulders above the competition is its built-in direct-driver monitoring system (DDMS), which uses an infrared camera to monitor the driver’s eyes to make sure they’re paying attention to the road.  After all, cars aren’t completely self-driving yet, and it’s imperative the driver is still somewhat engaged in the driving process for safety. With BlueCruise, if a driver looks away from the road for more than 5 seconds, the system gives the driver an audible warning to get eyes back on the road.  And if you’re driving hands-free on a pre-mapped BlueZone controlled access highway, BlueCruise will alert you to upcoming lane merges, curves, or traffic issues up ahead so you can be ready to place your hands back on the wheel and manually steer if necessary.

As Ford points out, BlueCruise allows you to make the most of your time in the driver’s seat- connect with your passengers, enjoy the scenery around you, and take time to enjoy the ride.  It’s a pretty amazing feature, and one you’ll want to try out! 

Schedule your hands-free highway test drive today at Jenkins & Wynne Ford, 2655 Trenton Rd  in Clarksville, or contact us online to get your test drive set up. You’re going to love the future of driving with Ford!